Conventionally, known are remote management systems in which information such as conditions of an electronic apparatus is gathered at a remote location from the place where the electric apparatus is installed, so as to grasp the conditions of the electronic apparatus. Among such remote management systems, for example, there is a remote management system in which a remote management function via communication circuits such as telephone lines or via electronic mails is mounted in an electronic apparatus or a remote management system in which such a function is exclusively installed.
As this kind of technique, for example, a facsimile apparatus is disclosed in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 172348/1990 (Tokkaihei 2-172348, published on Jul. 3, 1990). In this facsimile apparatus, an electronic mail function is provided so that information such as facsimile transmitting result information and facsimile receiving result information, and trouble detection information can be reported to a manager by electronic mail via a computer network.
However, the facsimile apparatus, which is the above conventional electric apparatus, suffers from a problem that this function cannot be operative effectively unless the facsimile apparatus is not installed at a place where a computer network environment is prepared.
Further, if trouble information, for example, of the facsimile apparatus is reported to a service company for a maintenance of the facsimile apparatus, another requirement is added such that the facsimile apparatus must be installed at a place where the Internet environment is prepared. Thus, the remote monitoring system using this reporting system does not function at all locations where the facsimile apparatus is installed. That is, it is a problem to prepare electronic mail environment specially for the facsimile apparatus installed as a unit.
Furthermore, in the above-described remote monitoring of the facsimile apparatus by electronic mail, a service center is designed to carry out remote monitoring of the facsimile apparatus by electronic mail by renting the Internet environment partially at the place where the facsimile apparatus is installed. Thus, if the facsimile apparatus is monitored all the time, the confirmation as to the above fact is necessary with respect to the user before installing the facsimile apparatus. Therefore, proceeding problems such as a functional explanation and a fee incurred by a partial use of the Internet environment might occur. As a result, a problem arises such that the electronic mail function is operative in one place, but not in other place when the electronic mail function is intended to install in all the facsimile apparatus.
In addition, installation of the electronic mail function in all facsimile apparatuses causes an increase in cost of the facsimile apparatus itself.
Meanwhile, as this kind of another prior art, for example, a method for bidirectional remote control communication is disclosed in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 324565/2000 (Tokkai 2000-324565, published on Nov. 24, 2000). The method for bidirectional remote control communication disclosed in this patent publication is such that information of home electronic controller is collected by using the bidirectional remote controller, and if a fault is detected, information is transmitted to a fault transmitter connected to a network so as to report it to a service station.
However, for receiving such service, it is necessary for users to prepare a network environment. Therefore, investment in a network environment is required, which causes a problem that users hesitate to introduce such a system.